Bittersweet (adj.)- combining sadness and happiness; pleasant but including or marked by elements of suffering or regret
Thailand has been enlightening, to say the least. It has been a month of growth, compromise, enrichment, silliness and appetite. I have never eaten this much in my life. Breakfast: a full meal of bread, some sort of meat, fruits I cannot pronounce, 3-in-1 coffee packets, sweetened rice cereal and more bread. Snack: a full meal of jellies, sweets, and more fruit. Lunch: a large feast of interesting salads, meats, baked goods, more meats, fruits, vegetables, etc. Snack #2: cake, bread, fruit and soup. Dinner: meats, meats and more meats, noodles, noodles and more noodles. EVERYWHERE we went, we ate. This was not our doing but it is a sign of respect to the people who have so graciously prepared food upon our arrival.
Most of the food was given as a sign of gratitude and HAD to be eaten (“Thai culture” is what we were told in a joking manner by our ministry contact). Our beautiful “A”, who was our Mom for the month would stand and watch what we ate, making sure we scarfed down every bit of food. We learned to love her for it and knew it was her way of showing us how special we were to her.
Here is a glimpse into what our living quarters looked like:
This was my bed for the month. A nice robust, oak wood sofa with cushions that also served as seats for the back of the pick-up truck. Samuel, our adopted little brother, is modeling my sleeping bag. It was more fit for a person of a 5’0, petite frame but I cuddled the edge just fine!
Our toilet, sink and shower were one in the same. We had a “Harry Potter” bathroom (located under the stairs with a deep slanted ceiling). We had to squat to take a shower with a hose which we came to love. It proved to be effective and time efficient. No toilets flush. You must dump water into the bowl to rinse, like so:
(A special thanks to my former BFF teammate, Daphnee, for beautifully demonstrating our 3-in-1 bathroom.)
This is “A”. Our Thailand Mom. One of the most selfless people I have come to know on the race. I don’t think she ever slept. She is a prayer warrior. Not only does she wake up at 4:00 am to pray everyday, but she took care of us like royalty. She refused to let us do our laundry, clean the dishes or ever go hungry. Though there was a language barrier, one thing she reiterated, was that she did all of this because she knew “we loved Jesus and she could see it in us”. And boy, did we see Jesus in her!
The “brush your teeth, wash your hands, clean your dishes” facility. Once again, with the 3-in-1 theme.
Squatty/Stumpy. Our ferocious guard dog that never failed to welcome us with his persistent wagging and howling.
Our bedroom, team time space, and dining room. 3-in-1. It included a stage and Christmas tree! We discovered that this is normally the living quarters for Pastor, A and Samuel but they willingly allowed us to use it for the month. They slept on one mattress in a tiny room on the first floor. Their hearts are so full of grace and love that they thought nothing of it. It showed me the influence that Jesus’s word has on people.
I hope your Christmas was full of reminders of what it is truly about. I played Mary about 12 times this month in our beautiful rendition of the Christmas story so I was thankfully reminded daily of the “reason for the season”.
I am praying that 2014 is full of God’s blessings for you all back home. Much Love.
